Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
|
List Price: Our Price: $12.99 You Save: $0.99 (7%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $3.56 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Van Lear Rose
Free Music Review: Marvelous and Classic
Hit: 4 Stars
I have always liked Loretta Lynn. Loretta's music was a fixture in our house in the 60s and 70s. We have a lot of Loretta's music from over the years and if CDs can wear out, ours eventually will. When "Van Lear Rose" was initially released I was excited and my first thought was to run out and buy it. Then I began to hear negative comments regarding the album. Then I began to hear positive remarks, followed by no less than five nominations for Grammy Awards, and two wins! Something was wrong somewhere, so I had to buy this album.
My overall impression is that this album is a mix of old and new. The style that Loretta had in the 60s and 70s is there, with enough infusion of new that keeps her music from sounding like it came from a dusty attic. I have to listen to this album some more, but my initial reaction is very positive. I am dissatisfied with the pop with country twang that passes for country these days, and I think part of the reason Loretta's new album has been so well received is that it is not a pop album disguised as country. This music shows its country roots very well. Admittedly, there are moments when rock intrudes, but that is to be expected given that rock has already taken over much of country music (sorry, but adding a twang to a pop or rock song just does not make the song country).
This CD opens with the title track. The subject is her mother. The style is pure Loretta Lynn. Her voice may have aged a little, but hearing Loretta Lynn sing new music in a style reminiscent of when she (and we) was much younger is wonderful. The lyrics are simple and the story is from rural Kentucky.
The second song is rocking country. Loretta sings about "Portland Oregon" as though it is the western edge of Kentucky. Perhaps it is. This song moves along fast enough to make you believe it. This particular song is the one song on this CD that is closer to rock than it is to country. The duet with White Stripes' Jack White may have something to do with that. This song was one of two on this CD nominated for the Best Country Song Grammy.
"Trouble on the Line" balances the previous song. This song has a classic Grand Ole Opry style. The beat is slow and the steel guitar wails in the background. Loretta manages to keep this simple song about love going bad from being maudlin, but only just barely.
Loretta has always been a strong woman in her music, and she can be very confrontational. In "Family Tree" she confronts her man and another woman with their children, the dog and the overpaid bills. Loretta is not shy, calling the woman trash and woman who's burning down the family tree. While she does not plan on doing this woman harm (yet!), she is clearly reminding her man where his obligations lie. Another song in a similar vein, with a bit more retribution involved, is "Mrs. Leroy Brown." The latter song has a faster rock pace.
In the next song Loretta sings blues! "Have Mercy" is short with a rock back beat, but the song is essentially blues. While this song may be weaker than much of the remaining music on this CD, it expands the scope of the CD and shows a side of Loretta Lynn rarely seen. The next song, "High on a Mountain Top," reminds me a lot of the way that Dolly Parton sings. Loretta pulls this song off well, though the style, as with several of the songs on this CD, is unusual for Loretta.
"Little Red Shoes" is not a song per se, but a story that Loretta told and that Jack White set to music. The story is cute and sad all at once, and from the heart as there was no editing. The story is presented, mistakes and all, just as Loretta told it. We take our era for granted, but there are still people living just like this in the United States. This story is very real to Loretta, even now.
"God Makes no Mistakes" is a simple song of faith that seems to be sung less frequently. The song is short and simple, makes its point and moves on. Another short and sweet song is "This Old House," about old times and simple times; down home singing!
The following song, "Women's Prison," focuses on the crying mother of a female prisoner on the way to be executed. The woman killed her significant other with another woman, and took the quick route to justice. She realizes now what a mistake she made as she hears her mother crying just before she hears nothing more.
The next song has received a lot of accolades and was nominated for Best Country Song Grammy. The song speaks volumes about the love that Loretta had for Doo and how much she still misses him. The song is from the heart and pure. This song is solidly the best song on this CD.
The closing song on this CD takes me back to the movie "Coal Miner's Daughter." In one quick song Loretta Lynn highlights her life in the style she knows best. "The Story of My Life" is simple, unpretentious, and classic. This song is campfire and blue-collar ready. As hard as it can be to believe sometimes, this is the way country music was once sung.
I wonder whether this album has garnered so much attention because it points out how far from country that country music has strayed. Modern country music is polished and produced and packaged for maximum appeal, but in the process it loses the very character that once appealed to a huge number of people. Listen to this CD and remember where the music of the people began.
Free Music Review: SUPERB OFFERING FROM A CLASSY LEGEND!!
Hit: 5 Stars
After one listen, this project, which won two grammys is on my list of all time favorites. Loretta holds no equal when it comes to being innovative and instinctive as an artist. Hers is a true talent backed with unpretentiousness!! From the haunting "Van Lear Rose" and "Miss Being Mrs Tonight" to "Portland Oregon" and all the rest of the fine tunes on this exceptional collection, this CD is worth every penny!! Loretta is the real thing!!Free Music Review: Great Album... If you don't think so... you are wrong...
Hit: 5 Stars
I can't take that bad review below.. everyone who has a clue that I talk to about this album loves it... the people who I talk to who dont like it are usually older people who think that the only good work done was 50 years ago...not saying all think that... wrong!... i like rock music... but this is just a great album... great lyrics... great raw sound... and its not over producted...AND YES ITS DEFINATELY COUNTRY.... Loretta has said it is the MOST COUNTRY album she has ever done... thats why it WON COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR... its good!! it also one her her first GRAMMY by herself... yes!! Its got a spark I dont hear in her other stuff... if you buy it... WHICH YOU SHOULD... give it time... listen to it and then keep listening... at some point you will return to this album and exclaim MY WORD this is great!! Have a good day... laterzFree Music Review: If I was on a desert island I would want this cd.......
Hit: 5 Stars
Simply amazing, this cd left me speechless the first time I heard it, as the editorial review stated Loretta's music is too raw and stark for modern country radio and fans, let me add two
words to that ,it's also too HONEST and QUALITY also.Jack White
who I am almost ready to give the genius label to for his excellent output with the White Stripes has just got it so right with the production on this it's almost scary. If the title track doesn't bring you to the point of tears, somethings wrong. This is what all of us who pine for the pure truth and beauty of country music find so lacking in the clueless garabge music row is spewing out these days.Loretta is a treasure in the same rarified air as Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. Every track on here is excellent, my favorites being the title track and High on the Mountain Top. You need this cd for your collection, pure classic from beginning to end, especially if your someone like me who favors aesthetic and spontaneous quality in music over slick overproduced modern poop were subjected to on a daily basis in the 21'st century.
Free Music Review: The Evolution of Real Country
Hit: 5 Stars
Instead of taking risks with new sounds that still enable the characteristics that make the genre unique shine through, "corporate country" has taken FEW if any chances. As a lifelong fan of country music, the last decade this throw back to "countrified" 60/70's top 40 crap has been so discouraging. When Jonny Cash teamed up with Rick Rubin, they created the most exciting, new, up-to-date, genuinely country sound that had come along in years! Jack White has done the same for Loretta Lynn. He took the honest and raw lyics that Loretta Lynn has always been hailed for throughout her career and gave her a totally contemporary county sound. It totally blew me away the first time I heard it and I still feel the same now everytime I replay it! This sound has been well recieved and has caught the attention of fans and critics. Let's not forget the Grammy's either! I hope to hear more from Loretta Lynn and Jack White.
**Another review at this site referred to Loretta's lyrics as "weak." I have to ask; weak compared to what? You want an example of weak? Take a listen to Faith Hills newest release, "Mississpi Girl." That is WEAK!